16e Conduct field research.

For many research projects, particularly those in the social sciences and business, you will need to collect field data. The “field” may be many things—a classroom, a church, a laboratory, or the corner grocery store. As a field researcher, you will need to discover where you can find relevant information, how to gather it, and who might be your best providers of information.

Interviewing

Some information is best obtained by asking direct questions of other people. If you can talk with an expert—in person, on the telephone, or via the Internet—you might get information you could not obtain through any other kind of research. In addition to getting an expert opinion, you might ask for firsthand accounts or suggestions of other places to look or other people to consult.

Conducting an Interview

AT A GLANCE

  1. Determine your purpose, and be sure it relates to your research question and your hypothesis.
  2. Set up the interview well in advance. Specify how long it will take, and if you wish to record the session, ask permission to do so.
  3. Prepare a written list of factual and open-ended questions. Brainstorming or freewriting can help you come up with questions (6a and b). Leave plenty of space for notes after each question. If the interview proceeds in a direction that seems fruitful, do not feel that you have to ask all of your prepared questions.
  4. Record the subject, date, time, and place of the interview.
  5. Thank those you interview, either in person or in a letter or email.

Observing

Trained observers report that making a faithful record of an observation requires intense concentration and mental agility. Moreover, an observer is never neutral—he or she always has an angle on what is being observed.

Conducting an Observation

AT A GLANCE

  1. Determine the purpose of the observation, and be sure it relates to your research question and hypothesis.
  2. Brainstorm about what you are looking for, but don’t be rigidly bound to your expectations.
  3. Develop an appropriate system for recording data. Consider using a split notebook or page: on one side, record your observations directly; on the other, record your thoughts and interpretations.
  4. Record the date, time, and place of the observation.

Conducting surveys

Surveys usually depend on questionnaires. On any questionnaire, the questions should be clear and easy to understand and designed so that you can analyze the answers easily. Questions that ask respondents to say yes or no or to rank items on a scale are particularly easy to tabulate:

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Designing a Survey Questionnaire

AT A GLANCE

  1. Write out your purpose, and review your research question and hypothesis to determine the kinds of questions to ask.
  2. Figure out how to reach the respondents you need.
  3. Draft potential questions, and make sure that each question calls for a short, specific answer.
  4. Test the questions on several people, and revise questions that seem unfair, ambiguous, too hard to answer, or too time consuming.
  5. For a questionnaire that is to be mailed or emailed, draft a cover letter explaining your purpose.
  6. On the final version of the questionnaire, leave adequate space for answers.
  7. Proofread the questionnaire carefully.

Analyzing, synthesizing, and interpreting data from field research

To make sense of your data, find a focus for your analysis, since you can’t pay attention to everything. Then synthesize the data by looking for recurring words or ideas that fall into patterns. Establish a system for coding your information, labeling each pattern you identify—a plus sign for every positive response, for example. Finally, interpret your data by summing up the meaning of what you have found. What is the significance of your findings? Be careful not to make large generalizations.